US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, an American ally, if that country interferes with his administration's efforts to reach an agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, reports Fox News.
The US and Oman are separately negotiating with Tehran to re-establish maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important waterways for the world economy. The strait was mostly closed for almost six months during the war between the US and Iran.
Fox News reporter Trey Youngst stated that during the phone call, Trump made a threat to Oman using an expletive.
"If Oman gets in our way, we'll bomb the hell out of it," he said, according to Youngst.
It is not clear exactly what the Trump administration would do to impede US efforts to reach a deal with Iran.
Trump made the threat just hours after Iranian authorities said they were close to an agreement with Oman to allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagaji said an understanding had been reached about the route the ships would take.
Target of Iranian attacks and important role in negotiations
According to him, the two sides should finalize the details before issuing a joint statement. Oman previously described the negotiations with Iran as positive.
Oman is located on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz and describes itself as a neutral country in the conflict. However, during the war it was the target of several Iranian attacks, and now it plays an important role in the negotiations on the reopening of this strategic maritime route.
Under normal circumstances, about a fifth of the world's oil and liquid natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz. That is why its reopening is one of the key elements of the negotiations between the US and Iran.
In the same conversation with Fox News, Trump also said that Washington has a direct channel of communication with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of the most powerful military, political and economic institutions in Iran.
An IRGC spokesman denied the claim. He told the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim News that there are no negotiations between the Guard officials and the Americans and accused Trump of telling lies.
At the same time, the future of negotiations between Washington and Tehran remains uncertain, as the 60-day memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides on June 18 expires. The agreement was supposed to contribute to a ceasefire and partial opening of the Strait of Hormuz, but the US and Iran soon resumed mutual attacks.
On Monday in the Oval Office, Trump, answering a question from BBC News about the possibility of extending the memorandum, said that he was not interested in it.
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said the full opening of the strait depends on Iran receiving compensation from the US for what Tehran considers a violation of the memorandum. Earlier, Reuters, citing an Iranian official, reported that Iran was demanding compensation of five to seven percent of the value of cargo from ships passing through the strait.
Trump, however, said that he is not in a hurry to end the war.
"They're good poker players, but they're dying. I don't have a deadline. I'm in no rush," the US president said, according to Fox News.
On the social network Truth Social, before the expiration of the memorandum, Trump repeated that the main goal of his policy is to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons in any way.
Source: BBC
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